And at the end of my T60 - there is nothing south of the Axis forces except the garrison at Baku.

The grind at Stalingrad continues.....

Fortunately the large reserves of rifle squads I have means that a couple of the destroyed Caucasus armies are going to be reconstituted next turn - it might be difficult to get ammunition to fighting units in the south, but apparently it's easy enough to form them in the first place!! :)

The focus now moves south - Stalingrad remains a meat grinder - there are multiple attacks every turn to try to wear out the Axis occupiers, but not much movement!

Down south the 47th and much of the 44th armies have hurriedly reformed at Gorki from remnants and new troops and take up positions behind the Terek River - we know the leading panzer divisions are relatively weak and ill-supplied and perhaps we can make this expensive for them.

Field troops are withdrawn from Rostov to shore up the eastern defences, and preparations are made to withdraw the other armies along the Western Don before they are surrounded....

I'm not hanging around Rostov to be encircled - the troops that can flee south, while the reconstructed Southern and Caucasus forces boot the 24th Pz out of Grozny and take up defensive positions along the Terek.

Also as many troops as can be spared from the Kerch Isthmus guarding the Crimea stream across to the Kuban to help with the defence.

2 more armies are due to arrive at Baku next turn, and given the low strengths and long supply lines of the Axis units I can see I am hopeful of holding Baku....although it is now just a matter of time before he takes Rostov and opens the rail line through to give himself better supply and that's going to be a problem....but it's a few moves away yet, and perhaps the grind at Stalingrad will have achieved something before then.....

Oh so historical...OK I hope for Carlos that he put the Romanians in safer place than South of Stalingrad... The Red Army infantry is shrinking fast, is it because you are you are also attacking in the AGN sector?

Mostly attacking just north of the maps we've shown here - from Voronezh to Kursk.

I might do a comparison of what's happened there over the turns so far....

Edit: So here's my comparison of the northern sector between Turns 50 and 62 - as you can see there has been some movement - Pskov has been liberated, and the front moved a bit further south from Staraya Russa.

Notice the decrease in Soviet strength and Axis reinforcements at Narva in the north!!

And here's the changes in the centre between Voronezh and Bryansk....not much movement - a couple of hexes around Voronezh, and the initial penetration at T50 had to be withdrawn to provide reinforcements south....lots of fighting tho....

And the situation at the end of my turn 63 - nothing much has changed at Stalingrad - no hexes have changed hands but the wearing down goes on....

In the Caucasus the exhausted German Panzer divisions are easily pushed out of Grozny - one of them ceases to exist as an organised force, and elsewhere there are Korps weaker than divisions.

My own supply situation is weak, and the Axis are closing on Rostov. Reinforcements from the Crimea have retreated to Novorossisk rather than be isolated at Maikop. They probably won't be able to hold it for long, but it will all help use up time until Stalingrad is recaptured - it remains the key to retaining the southern oil fields.

The Russian Caucasus front isn't all that well supplied, but it is numerous and the Axis forces are weak and dispersed - AGA's infantry reserves are trapped against the Caspian Sea, and the leading Panzer divisions and their reactionary lickspittles are bundled backwards.

However just off the top left of the map the Caucasus HQ and 1 corps have been trapped at Novorossisk by the fascist capture of Maikop. Rostov is holding, but there seems little opportunity to relieve them - the furthest reaches of the axis advance are weak, but closer to the Don River no so much - the trapped forces will have to hold out and rely upon developments elsewhere for their succor.

By the end of the Soviet turn the traitorous so-called "cossacks" have been destroyed, and the Korps surrounded against the Caspian forced to surrender.

Supply is still precarious, and the fascist units numerous - I am concerned about being surrounded - their rail network is almost complete and Rostov will fall next turn further improving their position.

The Black sea fleet is supporting the units isolated at Novorossisk.

Carlos has mentioned developments near Stalingrad so I have shown the offensive that has crossed the Volga, and also the effect of attacks further north at Voronezh - I hope these are keeping him distracted!!

Supply remains a major issue in the Caucasus, but the weak Axis Korps there are also a temptation that is hard to resist!!

The Soviet armies around Stalingrad are quite strong and are attacking every turn to keep the Axis there "in the red" and slowly wear them down.

The fortified troops there are slowly losing strength, and if Carlos replaces any of them there the replacements will not be fortified for a couple of turns - either scenario is my opportunity to retake the city.

In response to the loss of Rostov I've decided to pull back and at least make a fight for Baku - corps have reformed into armies for the proficiency bonus and are lining up along the main line of advance.

Novorossisk is effectively lost - I cannot move or amphib the Corps and army HQ there, and they dig in to sell themselves dearly.

Elsewhere the Axis defence at Stalingrad is down to its bare bones - constant attacks have worn units down and forced a few to retreat. He can move reinforcements in - but they will not be fortified.....

And my T68 - the big news is that attacks force the Germans out of Stalingrad!!

The supply situation in the Caucasus remains terrible and the axis now has a supply route through Rostov, but if I can force him over the Don bend at Stalingrad then that will allow me to attack the flank of the Caucasus forces and relieve some pressure.